‘For freedom fighters’: 75 Tricolours unfurled in city

As many as 500 high-mast flags, including those unfurled on Thursday, will be set up in the next couple of months, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Whenever someone in Delhi steps out of their home, they should see a Tricolour no matter which direction they look, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said while unfurling a 115-foot-tall national flag in Timarpur as part of the Delhi government’s project to set up 500 such high-mast flags across the Capital.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal (Twitter/Arvind Kejriwal)

The Delhi government, in all, unfurled 75 such high-mast national flags on Thursday across the city to mark the 75th year of India’s Independence.

Kejriwal said 500 high-mast flags, including the 75 that were unfurled on Thursday, will be set up in the next couple of months. The plan is to have 115-foot tall national flags in every district and assembly constituency, he said, and so far, 80 such tricolour installations have come up.

The ₹104 crore project is part of the 2021-22 budget, which finance minister Manish Sisodia had at the time termed the “Deshbhakti Budget”, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence. The budget contained several projects meant to instil a sense of patriotism among residents of the Capital.

“We have installed the tiranga at a height of 115 feet at 75 places in Delhi to pay homage to our freedom fighters. Our goal is to ensure that whenever someone steps out of their home, they see a tiranga in every direction they look. Seeing the tiranga fly high instills a stronger sense of patriotism in everyone. Delhi is perhaps the only city in the world to have installed their national flag on such a large scale. Hopefully, we have secured a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for this feat,” Kejriwal told reporters at the event.

Till August 15, 2021, the public works department (PWD) had installed high-mast national flags at five locations in the city -- East Kidwai Nagar, Rani Bagh, East Vinod Nagar, Kalkaji, and Dwarka.

“Our target was to set up the 500 high-mast flags by January 26 (Republic Day), but because there was a ban on construction activities due to pollution and also the third Covid-19 wave, it will now take place over the next couple of months,” Kejriwal said.

PWD minister Satyendar Jain, who was also present at the Timarpur event, said that the state agency has executed the project in accordance with the 2002 Flag Code of India rules, which pertain to the laws and practises around the display of the national flag.

“Abiding with the flag code rules, illuminating the flag with adequate lighting was given priority. Each foundation was painted red and white. The Delhi Government has executed this colossal project largely on PWD roads under its purview. The project has been executed while overcoming challenges of the multiplicity of road-owning agencies in Delhi, like the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), both of which are under the control of the central government and the municipal corporations of Delhi,” Jain said.